Dark Side of the Moon
by candyharlot
Summary: [SessKagura AU.] Sesshoumaru doesn't ask much. Simply to avoid his family and any...attachments. Yet both seem determined to overthrow his seemingly placid lifestyle. Little does he know that another force is at work...one that can't be avoided.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: No. I do not own the canon characters, or any connection to the feudal era. All of that jazz belongs to Takahashi Rumiko. However, the plot and any other content belong to me alone. **

_Summary: In a world where youkai are disbanded among humans, the Sesshoumaru and Kagura are both struggling to lead two different lives while surrounded by humans. Little does he know that Kagura's professor holds a grudge against Inu Yasha, Sesshoumaru's unwanted hybrid brother. The threads of humanity and demonic power tangle while feelings are requited, and lovers avenged._

**Dark Side of the Moon  
Chapter One**

The demon's eyes blinked until he was fully awake, and at first he thought he had gone blind until realizing it was just the hard surface of the desk he was seeing. At first he smelled the faint scent of ink and paper, much to his distaste. The ringing and buzzing in his sensitive ears didn't stop until he finally growled and realized that it was that bloody alarm clock sitting on the desk. He stared at the blazing red numerals through one amber eye. All it revealed to him was that he shouldn't have slept at all.Of course, even Sesshoumaru was obligated to sleep every once in a while if necessary.

An "oomph" passed out of him as his hand landed forcefully on the wood. He raised his head to feel a burning sensation on the side of his face. Lo and behold, a book lay open where he was resting. Blinking once, his eyes traveled to the large, neatly stacked bout of papers which he realized were graded essays - hence the red marks that tarnished each page. He scowled as what felt like a growl sneaked up his dry throat.

'_Why?' _he seemed to ask himself for the umpteenth time_. 'Why do I do this to myself?' _Unfortunately, he always knew the answer to this question before it was even asked. It was because he lived in a world where money was a bare necessity of life among humans and youkai alike. It was just a matter of choosing a profession, which had been a rather trying task for Sesshoumaru when he turned of age. Finally after dabbling in law, medicine, and eventually education, he settled down. Oddly enough, he did this all alone without the help of his father. Most youkai of his stature would have stayed with their fathers and become heirs to the clan's fortune...but not Sesshoumaru. No, Taisho Ushida's full-demon son would not have his father's help. Not after what he did to his own bloodline—after he soiled it. _Ruined_ it, Sesshoumaru thought acidly.

Sesshoumaru pushed his chair back, standing on long, stiff legs to make his way into the small kitchenette.

While drinking a glass of ice-water, he absently pondered on something not in relation to any of his prior thoughts. A blurry, yet radiant face clouded his mind, the result of his unconscious thoughts. How unusual. He never thought he knew anyone radiant, or had dreams about them for that matter. The frown that he constantly wore grew increasingly deeper as the tiresome strings of thought circulated. It wasn't as if he never experienced dreams like this. Eccentric dreams were to Sesshoumaru like car wrecks were to one who saw them every morning: perfectly orthodox. He glanced idly at the clock hanging on the grey textured wall. Two hours until he had to leave.

After washing up and pulling on some fresh clothes, he made room in the worn-out briefcase for graded papers and dropped them inside. He glanced at the clock yet again before grabbing his coat and sliding out the door. What greeted him was the fresh yet harsh scent of morning, the start of a new day in the industrial world. Did the stench bother humans in the least? Of course it didn't. Their nonexistent sense of smell would be their downfall, he told himself. To mask these odors he inhaled the scent of his own coat, and then set out into the early dawn. Unfortunately he could not "fly" to work every morning, which would've been the easier route to be honest. It just wouldn't do to stand out like that, in his opinion. Humans could be so narrow-minded when it came to the supernatural. He rolled his eyes, jamming the keys into the ignition of the sleek black Jaguar and speeding out of the driveway of his home.

He sighed when reaching the already crowded parking lot of Kansai University. Sounds agreeable, doesn't it? Sesshoumaru had found it to be so all those years ago. Now he was a tenured professor. He slowly made his way down the sidewalk lined with pine trees, kicking a few pinecones out of his way and then pulling the key out of his coat pocket. The cobalt iron gate rattled as he slithered inside. He peered around for a moment at the courtyard surrounded by the rather large granite buildings, in which each housed a plethora of classrooms. Not remarkably, one of them was his.

Walking through the spacious inanimate place, he finally reached his own smaller building. The familiar classroom loomed at the end of the hall, and Sesshoumaru amusingly found that its solitary black door disturbed a surprising majority of the students due to the fact that the rest of the hallway is lined with traditional white doors in keeping with the quaint marsh-colored walls. It had been the Chemistry lab at a time, when this had been the only building. Rumor was that this wing of the school was haunted. '_Utter nonsense.'_

Treading inside, he flipped on the lights before sitting down at the guiltily muddled desk. '_It needs to be cleaned. Pity that I'm too busy.' _The sad truth was that he wasn't necessarily busy, just...preoccupied. I have better things to be doing, he reasoned. He quickly swung his coat over the back of the wooden chair, pulling the book curriculum out from the drawer and starting to thumb through it in order to absorb at least some material for the upcoming lecture_. "_Joy,"his chiseled lips moved with the inaudible words.He rested his chin on his fist, sitting still while absorbing the rare silence the room offered.

He was normally the only one here this early in the morning, at least in this building. Then again, there were only a select few professors brave enough to teach in the building. He supposed he was one of them, and rolled his eyes at the realization. The other few educators were a human and a tiger youkai who could be heard by anyone standing within a mile's radius. The bloke's voice was enough to send Sesshoumaru's head into a fit of spasms. More than once the Inuyoukai had walked into the other youkai's room and told him to desist. The command had worked thus far, because there was no sound heard from that classroom anymore.

It was actually some time before anyone entered his domain. Before long he could sense the being making their way down the hall, approaching the door. He found with subtle surprise that it was one of his students. A human female. It was one thing for them all to arrive on time and never late, but this early? It was _odd_. All that time he thought they were all against entering unaccompanied by someone else. Perhaps that was mere speculation now, he thought.

Looking up through half-lidded eyes, he watched the human girl move toward the door; grinning timidly before coming inside and closing it behind her.

"Good morning, Mr. Ushida," the simple face greeted him. _ 'Ah...' _He waited a few moments for some sort of explanation as to why she was so early, but apparently after five minutes of staring it wasn't coming. He caught a glimpse of the clock while she took the liberty of settling down in an empty desk in the right hand corner. He raised a refined eyebrow, leaning back in his chair as she finally glanced up at her professor with large gray eyes.

"Um... I was wondering if maybe you had graded my essay yet. I came here early 'cause...um..." she looked down at her petite hands, instantaneously flushing for reasons unknown to Sesshoumaru. "I wanted to make sure I didn't fail the essay. I was fretting over it all night, you know? After all, you said that you would hand them back today..." He didn't make any movement for a few moments, making the girl sit there expectantly. Then he looked down, thumbing his hand through his loose hair.

"I see," he murmured, returning to the book. "You should do more productive things with your time," he paused. "Like taking academic notes other than the ones you pass to your companions." She slumped down in her chair, her face growing crimson as she fidgeted with her hunter-green backpack. The Inuyoukai almost smirked at the expression on her face. '_What will she do when she actually sees her grade, I wonder?' _After a few moments she began to shred paper, a pastime he had noticed various people take up when they grew nervous. He inconspicuously rolled his tawny eyes as he rose from the desk, closing the thick book with a clap, which caused her to jump. Picking up a piece of chalk, he began to scrawl the main points of this dreaded lectureThe majority of the staff had been pestering him about acquiring a dry-erase board, but honestly he couldn't stand the stench of the markers and cleaners. Not that he ever told them this, of course.

He didn't even turn around when half of the class arrived during the remaining time. The buzzing they always formulated before the course started was troublesome, that was precisely why the youkai had set them all straight the first day with his...inhuman abilities. To the ones similar in race, this did not seem convincing. Then again, very little ever did...some were youkai, after all. But even _they_ were smart enough to keep quiet when they met his feral glare from across the room. Apparently something about it seemed to discomfort them. All except for one, who reminded him horribly of someone he had the desperately wanted to throw into a raging river. However with this class, he was constantly reminded of the unrequited person '_Unfortunately, family isn't by choice.' _Eventually he inclined his head slightly, so that the people could feel intimidating eyes on them. Within moments they quieted, ceasing their talking and settling for harsh whispers until the rest of the class arrived.

He hastily scanned the classroom, searching for any absences. Other than the usual idiots who skipped, everyone seemed to be present.

"I know how impatient all of you are to receive your rather...colorful grades from last semester," he took a few steps toward the desk, picking up the stack of essays and thumbing through them slowly. He knew very well how tantalizing it was for them, but they would just have to wait. Their discomfort amused him. "There shouldn't be any complaining, unless you would like to explain why you made the mistakes in the first place. Until that time, I won't hear it." They all turned to one another, as if to question their professor. '_Hn...they don't know their place.' _ "They will be posted outside the door by tomorrow evening."

"Mr. Ushida, what percent is this of our final _grade?_" someone suddenly asked. Sesshoumaru stared at the speaker, a rather unpleasant smirk twisting his lips. It was the hanyou boy.

"A fair amount," he replied shortly. Even though it was none of his concern, he felt it was his duty to educate these people so that they would not turn out like everyone else in this world. Perhaps he had found the reason that he didn't absolutely detest this job: he could actually knock enough sense into these beings before they all dove off the deep end. Well...at least some of them.

"I was disappointed at the lack of intelligence shown in your essays," he stated bluntly. "I would've thought that some of you would've at least written the papers yourselves. All of the plagiarists in this room didn't receive any credit for their papers and will be notified," he paused to scout out which ones were balking. He could sense the fear radiating from the ones who had been foolish. A rather evil smirk formed on his mouth. "If any of you had half a brain, you'd know that I don't get paid to smother you with information until you can't breathe. I'm here to guide you, as it may," he said sourly, glaring at a select few blank faces. His eyes narrowed contemptibly.

"Although I must point out that it is none of my concern if you fail," he continued, sliding one strong, elegant hand lithely along the hard oak wooden surface of the podium, which he never used. "I cannot have you spend this entire semester repeating your old mistakes. It's tiresome. Understood?" Everyone seemed to nod, several muttering a faint "yes" or polite "yes, sir." He captured a glimpse of a glaringly familiar ivory-headed boy rolling his eyes, rather exaggeratedly in fact...in a manner which caused the taiyoukai's eyes to darken. He hissed through his fanged teeth, stepping over to the chalkboard to begin the...lecture. He inwardly groaned. He was quite sure that he hated these things just as much as these children did. Now that he had said his share for some time, Sesshoumaru willed his hand up to the chalkboard.

"Alright, then."

**.-.-.-.**

It was early afternoon before Sesshoumaru could take leave. The blinding sun reflecting off the windows caused him to growl as he made his way down the baking sidewalk. As a youkai he didn't perspire like humans, but he still felt the heat through the back of his white collared shirt. His sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, showing off his muscular arms. His wardrobe basically consisted of long-sleeved dress shirts and khaki, navy or black slacks, and one pair of jeans that he had owned a very long time ago. He hadn't worn them in years, too many to be exact. With his irregular lifespan, he couldn't discern some memories, while others remained in his mind like a tri-color movie.

When he reached the main building which was situated smack-dab in the middle of the campus, the demon opened the tinted glass door and blinked once to readjust his vision. The small room was decidedly crowded, with more students present than was normal. A few stopped talking to look at him, then resumed their petty conversations when he sent glares their way. Why they were so fascinated with him, he had no idea. He was only there to turn in his grade-book so the semester grades could be logged in by one of the secretaries. To be honest, he hated coming here. For such a simple task, the process could be unbearably slow and complicated. Well, complicated for the secretaries at least. For him, it would be merely a very tedious process. Then again, conversing with _anyone_ was a frustrating process for Sesshoumaru, even though he would never admit to such a weakness.

He swiftly made his way over to one of the newly open desks. The clerk was one he didn't necessarily recognize, but then again he had never paid attention to each one's attributes. This one displayed slightly angular features, and tufts of thick mahogany hair wisped the sides of her face while the rest of it was tucked behind her ears. She looked up at him with rather cold eyes, her round, full mouth set in an unfortunate grim line. He set the book on the table for her to confiscate. He glanced at the nameplate sitting on the counter. _Sango Tao._

"Thank you, Professor Ushida," she said in a practiced voice. "You may come to pick it up in the morning or later this afternoon if you'd like."

"I'll come in tomorrow," he said stiffly. She nodded, her eyebrows contracting as she picked up the phone. She kept her eyes on him as he shuffled between several people, but not before seeing someone who made her want to hide behind her desk. She watched as the person greeted Sesshoumaru.

"It's nice to see you again, Professor Ushida." The youkai turned around unwillingly. The speaker was Miroku, an apprentice to one of the Religion professors. He had made a name for himself when he won a debate over one of the more accomplished seniors. He was only a sophomore, barely even a _man_. But the odd thing, Sesshoumaru noticed, was that he exhibited a strong spiritual aura that should've belonged to a priest. It wouldn't be all that unusual, the demon reasoned. There were still priestesses and shrine maidens walking around. That fact was one that the demon noted with caution. Even he, the most powerful youkai in the region, was wary of the powerful mikos still around. They weren't the same as they were in the medieval ages, but their power was still as formidable as ever.

"Are you going to be at the medical seminar on Friday?" Miroku's question brought the taiyoukai out of his thoughts.

"Possibly," he answered vaguely. Truth be told, he hadn't planned on going at all. He began to make his way towards the door when Miroku unintentionally blocked his path. He could feel himself growing agitated.

"Oh, excuse me..." the human mumbled. "Hey, Sango!" He set off towards the clerk's desk, a bright smile lighting his face. The woman greeted him with a friendly hello and he leaned against the counter so he could start a conversation. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips in a suave manner, causing the girl to blush profusely and shoo him away. Several of the people in the office giggled or smiled to themselves while Sesshoumaru simply left, closing the door behind him and basking in the silence.

Shaking his head, he made his way out the door to his car. The relationships of humans were best left alone, he thought acidly. For the life of him he couldn't fathom why some of them acted so ridiculously around one another. Simply watching them was sickening. Which was why he left the opposite sex alone most of the time. He had seen some of his better acquaintances make fools out of themselves just because they were trying to impress a certain woman or demoness. It was sad really, how some of them turned into total mush-brains without a second thought. Sesshoumaru promised himself that he would never revert to such. _ Never._

It was nearing three o'clock by the time the taiyoukai drove into a parking spot in front of the only coffee shop he could stand. The others around the city either smelled positively rancid or their coffee tasted horrid. Not that Sesshoumaru drank coffee a lot, most of the time he just bought an iced beverage or water. He simply liked how quiet it always was inside, even with his sensitive hearing. The only thing that occasionally bothered him was the bell ringing, or one of the employees calling out someone's order. However, with time, he had grown used to that as well.

He sat down in his usual spot, in the far corner under one of the dimmer lamps. He plucked one of his numerous notebooks from his black satchel and idly read the notes he had taken earlier on in the morning from one of the curriculum's textbooks. Anthropology could be such a drab subject; he really wished that there were more interesting people involved.

Eventually his golden eyes traveled from the notebook to the window, and he watched the people move in and out of traffic. He couldn't believe the amount of humans overtaking youkai. Even on the streets, the difference was frightening. When he had been younger, there were schools specifically for youkai and half-youkai. There still were many, but they were much less pronounced and private. It was tragic, really. He looked down at his long, clawed fingers, feeling the usually dormant poison coursing through the veins of his arm. He hadn't used his powers for years now, not since he had to kill a youkai who simply get on his every last nerve. Back then he really hadn't worried about other youkai's deaths; if they were bothersome, the world was better off without them. But then youkai's numbers dwindled and he couldn't stand to kill any more of his race...even if it meant being shrouded in impudence.

His hand flexed as an ironic grin spread across his face. Not many youkai looked like him these days. He was probably one of the last Inuyoukai aside from his father's clan. But he was different from them. Wasn't he? His father wasn't the only one who had mated with a human. With much resentment, he had come to realize that there were others like his half-brother. In this age, hanyous couldn't be discarded and avoided as they once were. Now they were accepted into society without a second thought. Such hospitality made bile rise in his throat.

'_It's starting to get crowded.'_ People usually getting off work came into this shop to unwind before going home. He supposed that he was doing the same. Sesshoumaru frowned as a petite black-haired young woman bumped into his arm. Her crimson lips muttered an apology and he briefly met her equally ruby eyes before slipping out the door. With a slight grin, he got into his car and sped off down the road in the direction of home.

**.-.-.-.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: No. I do not own the canon characters, or any connection to the feudal era. All of that jazz belongs to Takahashi Rumiko. However, the plot and any other content belong to me alone. **

_Summary: In a world where youkai are disbanded among humans, the Sesshoumaru and Kagura are both struggling to lead two different lives while surrounded by humans. Little does he know that Kagura's professor holds a grudge against Inu Yasha, Sesshoumaru's unwanted hybrid brother. The threads of humanity and demonic power tangle while feelings are requited, and lovers avenged._

**Dark Side of the Moon  
Chapter Two**

She merely stared at the door into the building for several long moments, contemplating on whether she really wanted to do it the justice of stepping inside. As much as she hated this job, "it was a great learning experience," as she had been told oh-so-many times by various people who thought they knew better than sheTo hell with that, she thought acidly. Kagura gathered her falling bags before walking inside, absently running a slender hand through choppy hair. She noticed a few students had already arrived, and there he sat on his "throne of terror." He was probably the most talked about—and the most disturbing—professor she had this semester.

'_Then why do I work for him?_' The answer: he paid the most. Why else? A few months back when she came in for the interview, he seemed impressed with her potential. A few months ago she'd been happy about this. Now she was trapped, a feeling that she was accustomed to but detested all the same.

Kagura watched as Naraku—Mr. Onigumo—took his half-moon glasses off and smirked gallingly while she stood in front of his desk. She felt like sticking her finger in her mouth to accentuate just how much she was disgusted by him. But, alas, that would've landed her in a very compromising position.

"I see you decided to show up," he sneered. She pursed her lips as she gave the finished papers to her professor. "I need for you to log these grades tonight, if you will." He suddenly handed her yet another packet of papers, his shining ebony eyes not leaving her crimson ones.

"Sure," she said, grabbing them out of his bony hand and sauntering to the front desk on the preferred left. In the corner of her eye, she faintly noticed two girls whispering rapidly, glancing around the room every now and then until both their greedy little eyes landed on her. The sorceress was fairly unsurprised to hear her name mentioned amongst their conversation once she sat down at the desk. Ever since she had started working for Naraku, people, girls, mostly, had started talking a bit. It was obviously due to the fact that he was, quite unfortunately, wickedly handsome in the eyes of any woman who hadn't been labeled officially blind. His agreeable physique along with his sinister amethyst eyes seemed to attract a lot of conversation among the standard population. That's just about all he has going for him too, she thought to herself.

Of course, suspicions had arisen after she had acquired this position she was in now. Her stanch demeanor seemed to keep the hoards of inquiring girls at bay most of the time, and seemed to frighten most of the boys away. Not that she minded—none of them remotely caught her fancy. Most of her female classmates were so spoiled by their glamorous lives that they didn't even see past their own noses most of the time. There only seemed to be a scarce few who actually held a brain that was functional to some extent or another. Sadly, the only thing those people did was study. Shaking her head Kagura pulled out her notebooks, watching as Naraku stood at the dry-erase board, rubbing his nose before uncapping the marker. He began to write the main points for whatever he was planning on doing today. She outwardly grimaced, eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Here are your term paper prompts," he said as he handed them out, making a full circle back to the podium. "Questions?" No one spoke or regarded him at all as they looked over the sheet of paper. She noticed the requirements and cursed silently. Taking the hint, he turned to the dry-erase board. He paused mid-turn due to someone's raised hand. "Yes?"

"I was wondering...could we come to you for help if we needed it?" an evocative voice inquired. Kagura raised her eyebrows, crimson eyes downcast as she looked at nothing in particular. She couldn't believe the way some of these girls acted around him; it was quite horrible. What truly sickened her was the way he seemed to _enjoy_ every moment of it.

Naraku regarded the girl for a moment before answering. "Of course," he smiled with the words. "Anytime, either my aid or I would be happy to help you with your work."

Said aid felt the burning eyes on her and looked up nonchalantly, despite the redness tinting her cheeks. She witnessed the porcelain face falter for a split second, which then grinned erroneously before turning to the sorceress with a full-blown glare just as he turned back around. Kagura glared back fiercely. She then made a hissing sound, shaking her head once more as the girl smartly turned back around.

Kagura didn't even listen when he started to lecture. Her mind wandered during that time, resurrecting thoughts that had been flattened when she walked into the classroom. Lazily, she started taking notes about mid-session. He normally referred to the useful facts during this time, after he clued everyone in on the introduction to this particular point in history. When he glanced in Kagura's general direction several times during the course of the note-taking, she frowned. She didn't exactly know why, but every time she made eye contact with the man a shudder ricocheted down her spine. It wasn't at all pleasant, nor did it resemble the excited tremble she got when stepping outside for the first snow every winter. How he acted towards her always kept her on her toes, with that everlasting feeling of dread. She couldn't stand it.

Trying to stray away from Naraku, Kagura wallowed in the wide empty expanse known as her mind. She thought about how she ended up in Medical school in the first place, and just how unfulfilled she felt after getting accepted. Even after her foster parents' good graces and hospitality, she still felt emptier with them than she had at the orphanage when she was younger. At least there the wind sorceress was surrounded with people like herself, people who understood her or at least tried to in their own twisted ways. For years after the youkai couple had adopted her—then conceiving a younger girl, Kanna—they sent the young woman to psychologists, to shrinks, to everyone that at even vaguely resembled help only to see the sorceress sent home with suggestions like putting her into such mediocre things such as sports. They had said that she was _bored._ She fought down a snarl at the thought. Not one of them understood her, which was for certain. What a waste of time.

The one thing all of them seemed to think was that she had been blaming everyone else for her own ignorance about her long-lost parents. A common mistake. Most orphans did care about their parents, but Kagura...she concluded that if they had wanted to know about their own daughter, they would've come back for her before she reached the age of 18. From what she had gathered about them, they weren't ready for a child when they gave her away to the authorities.

Sure, when she was in high school she had friends who went to the local mall, the movies, and all of those other things you saw today's teenagers doing—when she wasn't banished to the game room upstairs. However, it wasn't like she had the time of her life either. She remembered all those years of feeling so trapped, the agony of wanting to be outside and free. Kanna was free as the wind. It should've been _Kagura_ who was the wind, because it was _her_ element.

At least Kagura had those kinds of friends that didn't necessarily care if she was there or not. Well, at least she took pleasure in playing ding-dong-ditch with the older boys down the road, who always loved it when she used her control over the wind for her own devices. (When The Law was passed, though, that soon ended.) She certainly had more fun with them than with the "posse" of girls at that wretched preparatory school. The majority of the kids thought that they—or _we_, as she would sometimes like to think—were the bee's knees.

Of course, she was labeled the mischievous one out of that group. The one who used her coiling wind to make things happen without getting blamed for it. But—she promised—that was only once. She had been bored, and slightly ticked at the time. '_Wasn't that a good enough reason?' _The teacher's face at the time still made her cackle. Some had actually inquired as to whether or not the young sorceress even had a conscience when she was in Junior High and a freshman in High School. Kagura never paid attention to things such as that, until she reached the memorable 10th grade. What a cruel awakening that was. She consciously shook her head, ridding herself of such unpleasant memories. The only sensible thing that she did was graduate during that part of her life, or so she thought. One could only guess what happened to her after that. She grew up, or at least tried to for that matter.

Just finishing up the third page of notes, she threw the purple pen in her black bag as the bell finally rang. She watched as the students filed out of the classroom, eager to escape the cage. Not that she could blame them. She wanted just as much.

"Kagura," he predictably called her name, but not so loud as to embarrass her. Several of the remaining students looked in her direction as Kagura walked until she was a few yards away from his desk. She waited for his request, readjusting the bag on her shoulder in a nervous manner. Soon she was tapping her foot against the tile floor while he stood next to his desk.

"What if the beginning of the lecture actually held some importance?" he inquired slickly, his brow lifting slightly along with the side of his mouth as he looked down at her. "I saw you day-dreaming."

'_Well if you had caught my interest I would've paid attention.' _ "So you did," she replied curtly, her defense mechanism suddenly taking hold. He simply shook his head. After a few moments, she grew slightly curious as to why she was still there—in the classroom, alone with him. She felt a pang of something in her gut, and it oddly resembled dread. "So what do you want?" Her tone was acid. He looked up, studying her closely until his eyes traveled elsewhere. She instinctively folded her arms across her chest.

"There is...a seminar this coming Friday I must attend," he smirked again, his eyes narrowing as they slowly made their way back to hers. "I might need some assistance. An entourage if you may. I'm sure you'll be of some use if you choose to accompany me."

"I see," she remarked. Did she honestly want to go with him anywhere, especially in a place where she knew no one? "What do I get out of it?" The question was expected, of course. There was no way she was going unless he planned to pay her extra. Thankfully when she asked, he agreed, grinning slightly all the while. Damn! _'I wish I hadn't done that. But I need to pay for my electric bill.'_ Such was the fate of one living in the modern world. She sighed with relief as he went to his desk, his eyes moving with him.

"Very well. Just be here on Friday with those papers as well," he added as she turned to leave. She looked back at him, scowling before walking out the door. She wasn't sure why, but when she reached the end of the hall she began to run. Her car loomed on the black pavement and she got inside, switching on the radio and speeding out of the lot to her usual place of relaxation.

When she arrived at the coffee house she inhaled a deep, steadying breath, leaning on the door as she closed it upon entering. '_I've made it.' _She thought that at least she didn't have to deal with that blonde chick that had made her hatred for the sorceress so _pleasantly_ clear. She almost laughed at the mere thought of it. '_Jealousy...how idiotic. It's not like she's missing anything.' _After waiting in line for some time, Kagura finally requested her usual order of black coffee, then scuttled in between the numerous rickety circular tables scattered throughout the oval room. A table in front of the glass panes seemed fit, so she dropped her backpack and sat down, taking a sip of the hot steamy liquid, blinking as it burned all the way down her throat. She instantly pulled out a poem book she bought ages ago, scanning through until finally settling on something short enough for her tastes. Her mind needed to be distracted.

_The splendid white tombs,_

_Behind the lurking willows._

_Masculine illusions begin to loom,_

_In his midst of power and ice._

_Silver swords and eerie shores,_

_He stands in all his might._

Rereading it a few times, she frowned and shrugged. Something about it made her wary, as if it were describing someone she once knew. The demoness preferred the short poems because she could analyze them quicker, yet they always left her thinking if written fairly well. This one she still didn't know about because it was written by some random Joe/Jane labeled studiously 'Anonymous.' She sighed, resting her head on her slender arm, gazing out the window with her vision lopsided.

Irrationally her crimson eyes were drawn to the other side of the street, as if she had heard a siren or something. She thought she saw a flash of silver, but it was gone before she could blink twice. _Not again... _Perhaps she needed to go to her optometrist. The last time she went, the man had suggested that she buy contacts so her eyes wouldn't stand out. Such idiots, she thought to herself. What would she want to hide her true identity for?

She threw out her finished coffee cup in the bin and on the way out she accidentally bumped into someone. She didn't even glance up or apologize, but thought she imagined the same silver hair again before she set off down the sidewalk to her diminutive apartment. She had known someone with hair like that... Kagura resisted the urge to look back as she walked along the sidewalk and got back into her car. Surely sleep would cure most of these illusions she was having.

**.-.-.-.**

_Author's Nonsense: Wow...it's been a while, eh? Sorry for the ungodly long wait and nothing "new" but it couldn't be helped. This might sound really wimpy but I had a mental block that I simply couldn't get past. It affected my writing, unfortunately. Nothing I wrote had any substance, and I couldn't form anything. The good news (well, good for me at least) is that I'm over it now and back in black! Well...maybe not in black but you know. I like the direction this fic has taken, and I hope ya'll do too. I want to thank Elizabeth Hemingway for urging me on with my writing and such, her friendship has helped me more than I can say these past few months Thank you **Orange **for the kind review, I really appreciate it! hug Chapter Three is coming **very** soon, so stay tuned!_


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: No. I do not own the canon characters, or any connection to the feudal era. All of that jazz belongs to Takahashi Rumiko. However, the plot and any other content belong to me alone. **

_Summary: In a world where youkai are disbanded among humans, the Sesshoumaru and Kagura are both struggling to lead two different lives while surrounded by humans. Little does he know that Kagura's professor holds a grudge against Inu Yasha, Sesshoumaru's unwanted hybrid of a brother. The threads of humanity and demonic power tangle while feelings are requited, and lovers avenged._

**Dark Side of the Moon**

**Chapter Three**

The instant Sesshoumaru agreed to attend the seminar...he knew it was for the worst. As he lay on his still-made bed staring up at the ceiling, he decidedly wished he could simply stay home and skip the entire function. After all, what good would it do if he were there? Well, I suppose there's always the chance that I'll be yelled at by that wretched man, he reasoned. That wretched man was the university administrator. Sometimes the older demon liked to think he had control over Sesshoumaru, even if it was just a passing theory. _To think in such a way is ludicrous, of course. _After all, Sesshoumaru was decidedly the most powerful demon in the region under his father, the infamous Taisho Ushida. Not that the two maintained contact, but people still associated him with his father for obvious reasons. They also associated him with his disgusting hybrid of a half-brother, _Inu Yasha._

The comparison was one to be mocked. The hanyou with a human heart would never live up to be the type of heir Sesshoumaru could be. But since the wretch was supposedly Taisho's favored son, Sesshoumaru had practically disowned _himself_ from his family. Without his mother there to keep things in order, all things had gone to the dogs. The taiyoukai grinned at the pun, knowing fully well that his father had a soft heart, especially for humans. It was as though he were fascinated by them, their entire race. He had them as colleagues, friends, and on the unfortunate occasion, lovers. Sesshoumaru had barely tolerated his father's "interests" until that woman, Izayoi, infiltrated the household. Sesshoumaru cringed at the memory of her warming up to him, her..._kindness _towards the son of her lover. It was pity, he repeatedly told himself. _Chichue felt _**pity**_ for her. Like I did. _ Surely_ that was the emotion I found in his eyes every time he looked at her. _

He sat up from his spot on the bed. Of course, that hadn't been the drive behind his father's actions. There was much more to it, more passionate feelings that would only serve to ruin Sesshoumaru's life. He coldly remembered the way his father treated the woman with sickening adoration and idiotic displays of what he had said was **_love_**. The mere word was enough to make Sesshoumaru growl in contempt.

It was actually a year before that wretch was conceived. It was only then that the young inu-youkai had decided he'd had enough of his father's new "lifestyle." Upon the vague yet treasured memory of his mother, he couldn't believe that his father fell for another woman. It was positively _disgusting_ that Taisho could even compare this woman—this **_human_**—with his former wife. One's soul-mate should have been for** life**, not until one of them died. The young demon simply couldn't comprehend the concept of life after death, not then anyway.

For a decade Sesshoumaru traveled the country of Japan in search of...well, he didn't know exactly what. He didn't tell anyone of that particular insecurity, it was something he was having trouble grasping himself. It wasn't until he finally found a profession worth pursuing that he actually found somewhere to live for more than a year. Kansai was just the place he had been looking for; it provided him a place to flaunt his knowledge and degrade innocent students while in turn teaching them the fundamentals of life. The amount of humans in the world was somewhat aggravating at first, but with time he learned to accept the fact that youkai were beginning to diminish.

Sesshoumaru gazed out the foggy window at the empty sidewalk. It was most definitely_ not_ going to be a day filled with sunshine. There would be clouds... A wicked idea began to form in his mind, and he allowed himself a smirk as he rose from his bed. He ignored the flashing red light on the phone that indicated there was a message waiting for him. After slipping on his black boots, he didn't bother to grab the car keys on his way out. There would be no need.

**.-.-.-.**

Kagura hit her head on the bedside table, cursing rather loudly at the contact. _I suppose this is a 'good morning' from the darker forces. _Rubbing her head, she sat up in bed and gazed out the foggy window. Even with the crude wake-up call, she felt surprisingly calm. She rather liked it this way, even if she did wake up during the night due to the dreams. The sorceress's mind began to churn, ready for whatever came her way today. For one, she had a seminar to go to and a professor to see. Sadly. At least she would have tomorrow devoid of work. Groaning, she stumbled into the tiny bathroom of the apartment, cursing again when she felt a rather nasty tangle in her hair. She took the brush to it and eventually unraveled it, even though she had a headache afterward. The calming cloud was soon gone, and she was back to her normal mood...angry.

Before long she was dressed in a layered skirt and a black undershirt. Perhaps she needed a jacket... She picked one out, a grey sweater trimmed in white thread. Glancing at what she thought was a surmisable reflection in the mirror she grabbed the papers she had graded the night before, not forgetting her purse and car keys. How she dreaded the day which was looming imminently over her.

Once she was on the road, Kagura pulled out the directions Naraku had created for her. Inside she hoped they were correct. This was the first year she had endured Naraku as a professor, but that didn't mean she was ignorant to what the girls said about him. Although she had never actually _seen_ him flirt with a student, the way some of them talked made her wonder. If he ever so much as laid a finger on _her_, she would react so fast his head would spin. She was prepared for the worst. _It's not like I'll let him get close enough, anyway_. The sorceress shook her head, her ebony hair glimmering in the pale sunlight shining through the window. It was finally dawn.

Glancing at the scribbled directions, she realized she only had two more blocks before she turned. Supposedly the seminar was being held at Kansai's central campus, and she didn't know anything about it except that it was five blocks down from where she usually entered. The wing of Kansai she attended was the medical school. She finally realized it was time to turn, and her eyes widened upon the sight of the place. For some reason, she couldn't imagine the root of her school being so _large_. She took the keys out of the ignition, and opened the door on the silver car. Almost immediately she noticed what she had grown to assume was Naraku's car, a deep scarlet Cadillac. Looking around, her crimson eyes locked on what she hoped was the gate into the monstrous place. She eyed the passersby, trying to get an idea of exactly where everyone was headed. Not one's face seemed familiar, but still she followed the path into the auditorium, where she guessed the seminar would be held.

**.-.-.-.**

As the professor and student walked along the main hall, the professor decided to take a look at the bulletin board in mediocre hopes of being relieved from pure boredom and imminent annoyances. _Such as this creature. _He didn't even bother to look in the direction of the ningen with messy raven hair, knowing all too well that it would just earn himself another string of useless rambling. Honestly...to think that Sesshoumaru was even beginning to tolerate the company of this human was preposterous.

Miroku stood there with his arms folded, his stance giving off an air of pure impatience. He was rather eager to get to the auditorium, where he was sure many of the professors and their assistants (if they had one) had already arrived. And everyone knew the young Religion major loved to converse with his lady classmates and professors. _Perhaps Ms. Akita will make an appearance this morning... I can only hope._

After two whole minutes, the Inuyoukai decided to take a break from his "relief." He eyed the ningen in contempt. Over the one week (perhaps one too many) he had known Miroku, he had found that the human had a kind heart, a sharp mind, and was woefully selfless. The result was a particularly vexed Sesshoumaru, which was something one should not like to see often.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I went on alone, would you?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru glared back emotionlessly. The cold youkai found himself very elated at the thought of Miroku leaving.

"Although...they would most likely inquire as to where you were," he continued. "I suppose I could always tell them you never planned on coming...that you saw it as a complete and utter waste of time. I wouldn't be lying, would I?" Miroku said coolly.

"Tell them what you want," he retorted, staring into amethyst eyes. "Leave if you're going to leave," his glare spoke. Miroku ignored it and shrugged. He sure does have a lot of issues with my species, Miroku thought._ Or maybe it's just the way I smell? _Consciously Miroku lifted up his arm and sniffed the fabric of his sweater. Scent was almost everything to an Inuyoukai...and if one smelled foul, they were doomed.

Sesshoumaru caressed the crescent moon on his forehead, grimacing at the slight headache that was threatening him. Normally he was rather apathetic to loud sounds and intermingled scents, but today his tolerance just wasn't at its highest. As he tapped his claws on the windowsill, he thought about the unfathomable reasons he was even there. Well, as much as he despised the job...he needed a way to earn a living. And the prideful Inuyoukai was not _about_ to slave away in some office trying to sort out other people's problems when they needed to deal with them alone. It always did strike him odd why people chose to be lawyers and other such things. Being an 'educator' meant preparing people for the real world, where they'd be under much worse conditions than mere college life. Only then would other people deal with their problems as they saw fit. Until then, the professor was getting them used to their problems being ignored. Such a fulfilling profession, he thought.

"I wonder if the topics will be very creative. Since most of the professors are older than Methuselah, I doubt the fact," Miroku said. Of course Sesshoumaru would be prepared for boredom nonetheless, so he did not concern himself. "What do you think?" As the ningen got no answer to his question he sighed exaggeratedly. "I wonder if anyone I know will come. Perhaps the infamous Naraku will make an appearance," he muttered. "I would not be surprised if he does, actually."

Sesshoumaru concluded that this wasn't the first time he had heard Naraku's name in passing conversation. However, most of the passing conversation meant that of either female associates or his...family. Of course, he didn't pay any attention to either's hearsay. Both were utterly pointless.

The human on the other hand...he wasn't so sure about. Most of the time the cheeky man_ was_ found in the company of a woman. It seemed that he quite enjoyed every moment of it, too. _Why_, on the other hand...was unbeknownst to the demon.

"What do you know about him?" the Inuyoukai asked ambiguously.

"He's a clever demon who has upheld a very...interesting reputation throughout the academic arena. So far he's convinced just about everyone that his sins fall short of him," Miroku said bitterly. The youkai didn't respond, but realized he had indeed heard his name before when he had lived at home with his father. Perhaps he had been a colleague, or an acquaintance. It was hard to remember these things when trying so hard to forget the source. "...He seems to be powerful enough, anyway. There are rumors that he can change his physical form at will. Strange, isn't it?" Fair eyebrows rose at that statement. _Strange indeed. _This must've been a clever (or merely well-connected) creature to exploit himself thus, then not be punished.

"I suppose one could always use that trait to their advantage, but their conscience would most certainly be clogged as a result. I wonder...do demons even have a conscience?" Miroku questioned thoughtfully. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, questioning Miroku's intelligence as if he had none. Sesshoumaru growled a deep rumble in his throat and walked away until he was outside the auditorium and waiting for the doors to open, the religion student behind him.

"I also heard he has a new assistant. Poor child, I will pray for their soul." After a few moments of silence, he heard Miroku mutter something under his breath, then walk over to drop a line on a young woman standing a few yards away. He grew ever more irritable when a group of chattering wenches decided to storm through the hallway. Their snorts and giggles were not kind to his ears at all. They were loud...and horribly high-pitched. A string of rather crude curses flashed through his mind, but he chose to keep them at bay as he always did. Sesshoumaru was not one to vent his anger aloud.

"Oh dear..." Miroku sighed, depressed for the moment while the girl he had been speaking to simply walked away from him. However he was then intrigued as a few young, supple freshman girls began blushing at the sight of something, and he distinctly heard their loud murmurs. Sulkily he wondered if Sesshoumaru had. He inwardly cursed the youkai standing off to the side of him—he didn't see what the women saw in him, honestly. The man was brash, pompous as hell, and conceited if Miroku said so himself. The attractive ningen ignored the twinge of jealousy within his compassionate heart. Of course Sesshoumaru was seemingly oblivious to their woes as he stared out into the courtyard, the sunlight playing upon his ivory hair. He might as well have been a statue standing in that courtyard he was staring into; it was hard to see that he was even breathing. He was lost in his own little realm of thought and when Miroku interrupted him he would most likely be provoked into a rather violent tirade. He knew that Sesshoumaru's brother, Inu Yasha, had a habit of doing so whenever interrupted during his thoughts.

But something else preoccupied him before he could follow through with his quintessential bothering of Sesshoumaru. He squinted across the hall, where he noticed a tall, black-cloaked man staring straight back at him. His eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed. Something about that man's eyes made Miroku's very soul shiver with fright. There was a posse of people surrounding him, many of which he did not know. However, there was one person he wished he knew. A beautiful woman with rubies for eyes and shining black hair stood off to the side, glaring at anything that crossed her path. He also noted the way her slender arms were folded and scarlet lips pursed as if holding back something vicious. He heard a few names being tossed in the air around him, and suddenly realized it.

That man must have been—

"Naraku."

Miroku turned to the smooth voice behind him. "How do you know it's him?"

"It's obvious," Sesshoumaru replied stiffly. The finality in his voice stopped Miroku from asking anything further, and he settled for watching the superior being with unbridled suspicion.

The Inuyoukai's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes slowly traveled from Naraku to the woman at his side. The familiarity of her face and scent bothered him more than whom she accompanied today_. Mere coincidence. _His gaze traveled back to the other, eyes narrowing as he caught the other professor's glare. The sinister creature grinned at the youkai, sending a tremor of fury through Sesshoumaru at the mock hidden behind his eyes. It triggered something inside of him other than anger...it was something foreboding. Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. _No wonder it's making me so nauseous. It's similar to Inu Yasha's. _Fainter than what was normal for a half-breed, yes...but the scent of ningen still lingered in his demon blood.

Miroku watched as Sesshoumaru took a rather exaggerated sniff from the air around them. The human coughed to hide his chuckle. It had never really occurred to Miroku what species of demon Sesshoumaru was, but now he realized it with throwing impact. Not much of the population considered that kind of knowledge these days. It was in black or white: demon or human. It fascinated him to know that he was in fact_...Inu. _Well, perhaps fascinated was not the correct term—_amused_ would have been more appropriate. His mischievous mind began churning, and he smiled crookedly at the images playing in his head.

Abruptly the doors were opened, and everyone flooded into the spacious room while the freshman reluctantly stayed behind. Amber turned tawny eyes were still glaring in the direction of the two familiar faces, as if he were trying to solve a 4,000 piece puzzle without half the pieces.

Meanwhile, Kagura stole yetanother sidelong glance at the white-haired youkai, unable to suppress the urge to do so. He looked disturbingly familiar, like someone she'd seen previously in her life. Maybe I just saw him at a party a long time ago or something, she reasoned. That had happened to her before; she'd think she knew someone only to find out she didn't know them at all. _I think it's called déjà vu._

He sat with an ebony-haired human, and looked to be rather deep in thought. Kagura had the impression that his personality was one which displayed superiority in all the right and wrong places. She studied him for a moment. His young face was expressionless, and his eyes made her sad. She bit her lip, her own garnet irises curious. She wondered what sort of misfortune had caused him to become like so.

"Is there something troubling you?" Kagura turned to the voice, which was Naraku's. He was staring at her with probing eyes as he noticed what she was looking at.

"Not remotely. I'm just observing, that's all," she said sharply. "Do you come to these things often?"

"I come whenever there is one to attend. Why do you ask?" he turned to face her in the metal folding chair and Kagura shifted her weight, regretfully taking her eyes off of the handsome Inuyoukai.

"You know almost everyone here," she muttered. "So I was guessing that this was a normal routine for you or something."

"Well, this is a rather small town, Kagura...most of the professors know each other," as he said this he eyed something – or some_one_ sitting behind them, a couple of rows back. "By choice or otherwise." She didn't care to look, because he was staring in the same direction she had been previously. His words echoed in her mind as she stared at him.

"Oh, I see," she paused, narrowing her eyes with thought. "Do you know _him_?" The sorceress motioned towards the fair youkai. Naraku's eyes snapped back to her at that moment.

"Vaguely," he answered warily. "Sesshoumaru Ushida. I have not seen him since—" he abruptly stopped. "At any rate, he's not important."

"Since what?" she inquired nonetheless. Naraku leered at her, his upper lip twitching with annoyance. "Or should I say when?"

"That information doesn't concern you," he answered coldly. "I do not think he would remember the last time we met." Kagura glared at her professor intently, her tongue being held back only by her teeth. There were so many retorts that were going through her head at that first statement, but she held them all at bay. Howcould it be that Naraku knew Sesshoumaru? She tried not to think about it, but instead watched as someone stood at the podium welcoming everyone as he began a presentation of some sort. She silently took out her Mp3 player, plugging in her headphones and making sure her hair was covering her ears as she shot a glare at Naraku. She glanced behind her. Her eyes met those of the ningen sitting next to Sesshoumaru, and she instantly looked back to the speaker. The way he was looking at her made Kagura want to slap him. She felt horrid for any girlfriend he might have. _ I doubt I've ever met a bitch so stupid, though. _ She wondered if the elder demon had noticed her yet, as her scent shouldn't have been new to him. Yes...the two had met before, yet the exact occasion was buried deep within Kagura and extracting it should've been the last thing on her mind.

Unbeknownst to her, Sesshoumaru was indeed glaring in the wind-sorceress's direction. Even though he was struggling to place Naraku's semblance to his own family (whom he had tried to avoid over the past few years) it was the woman's scent which sparked his curiosity. Of course, he didn't know why it was he felt this way_. I should ignore it, _he told himself. And Sesshoumaru told himself that exact thing every time she exhaled. He caught her gaze when she glanced backward for the second time during a 10-minute span, and he glowered at her through half-lidded eyes. The youkai could almost smell her anxiety. _And if she looks in this direction again I will have to... _Why did he worry himself with avoiding her? Because she was tampering with his senses, and was now sitting with that _wretch_. Distracting himself, Sesshoumaru looked back to the drawling speaker. He was _supposed_ to be taking notes, but couldn't find the patience to do so. He unintentionally looked the other way when Miroku leaned toward him.

"She's agreeable, isn't she?" the voice whispered mischievously.

"I bet she is," Sesshoumaru said inaudibly, rolling his eyes. Habitually he assumed Miroku meant some random woman sitting in the room. Little did he know it was the very one semi-occupying his thoughts.

"I'm asking for your opinion," Miroku explained.

Sesshoumaru glared at the human with remotely inquiring eyes.

"_Her_," Miroku stared in the direction of the wind sorceress. Sesshoumaru's eyebrows rose at that.

"Hn." Miroku got no other reply, but grinned. It was a start.

Kagura yawned, looking exasperatedly in the direction of her preoccupied professor. She wanted a blanket. It was unbearably cold in that room and she found herself getting goose pimples despite the sweater and long-sleeved top she was wearing. Hopefully this would be over soon... She felt like taking a nap, but Naraku probably would've yanked that bonus away if she did. _And with _him_ sitting behind me...I can't seem to keep my mind quiet enough for dozing. Damn it all._ She hadn't even noticed that the music in her earphones had stopped playing, so she stealthily took them out and actually listened to the last of what the man at the podium had to say. From what she could tell, he was talking about medieval Japan and the medicine they made use with.She fought the urge to glance behind her again, and began picking at her polished fingernails despite better judgment. She was nervous. Of course the prideful sorceress wouldn't admit to that, but she was. He was making her this way. She cursed vehemently to herself.

"Are you cold?" Naraku asked her. She regarded him as if he were going to arrest her. She answered with a harsh "No," and looked away from him once more. He smirked, his deceptively white teeth gleaming. Little did she know that every single time she resisted her professor, it was all the more to his liking. With a twisted mind like his, she would have to be careful of her actions. The sinister demon then felt eyes on him, and burning ones at that. Someone was not very happy, that much he could tell. Inwardly he pondered on the fact of it being Sesshoumaru, the egotistical demon who he had "met" so long ago. It was a pity his father hadn't raised him better. Yes, he would have to speak to the Inuyoukai in time. And truthfully, he was looking forward to it.

Kagura watched in boredom as the speaker stepped down from the podium at last. The lights had been flipped back on and the projector put away. _Finally!_ People looked to be gathering their bags, so she began to gather her own. Slipping back on her slingback shoes, she rose from her chair, hiding her eagerness to get out of this place. Spending two whole hours doing nothing, she found herself feeling exhausted...and in dire need of a restroom. She eyed the exit door as half the audience was flooding out, and slipped out...in the process loosing her professor in the crowd.

When she finished fixing her hair again, the sorceress narrowed her eyes in search of Sesshoumaru. She wanted to see him again, even if it was just a glimpse of his black slacks. Strangely she found herself disappointed that he was nowhere to be found. The hallway was now crowded with people, so she exited through one of the side doors in need of fresh air.

"Why hello!"

Kagura spun around at the smooth voice, meeting unfamiliar mauve eyes. She gazed at him through half-lidded eyes, her arms folded. "Who are you supposed to be?"

Miroku smiled warmly, ignoring her rude expression. "Miroku Saizou, nice to meet you. I—"

"Save your breath," she cut him off. She started to walk away, but something stopped her before she could take another step. _This is the same man who was sitting with Sesshoumaru. _Well, perhaps she could stay for a few minutes, if not more.

"So what are you, a student? You look pretty young," Kagura commented. He grinned uncannily and she took the time to look him over for lack of something else. "I'm a junior," he said, sounding somewhat hopeful. His face was youthful, but his eyes looked like they would've belonged to a wise soul. His features weren't horrid, but he wasn't anything special in her honest opinion. Nothing compared to the Inuyoukai. _He_ was gorgeous.

"I hope the university is to your liking, um..." he trailed off, staring at her inquiringly.

"Kagura," she said shortly.

"Well, Miss Kagura, it's a pleasure to meet you." They stood there for a few minutes while Miroku checked his watch. "Are you waiting for someone?" she asked curiously. He nodded, and then his eyes traveled to a place beyond her. A strong aura was approaching...and it didn't belong to Naraku.

"Professor Ushida, are you leaving?" The name snapped her out of the reverie, and she glanced behind her with wide eyes at the towering youkai looking back at Miroku. He raised his eyebrows at the slight blush staining the ningen's cheekbones, fighting a smirk. Apparently this woman had taught him a well-earned lesson_. This woman... _ He scrutinized her for a long moment, taking in her exotic features and rather amusing expression.

_Oh, gods...he's even better up close. _The sorceress took a moment to notice how erratic her heartbeat was, and tried to ignore how shallow her breathing had become. The heat bubbled under every inch of her skin as he caught her gaze. He was regarding her with ridiculing amber eyes. She instantly felt a bit intimidated by the brashness of his stare, but immediately gained enough confidence to put up a defiant façade. She would be fine...if she kept her distance. Who knows what would happen were she to get close to him? Part of her wanted to find out.

"Yes," he answered. He didn't want to break her crimson gaze, but it was necessary. After all, she was talking to Miroku...a clear sign that she wasn't worth_ his_ time and effort.

"Hey," Kagura decided to greet him. He blinked. "Are you a professor here?" she asked incredulously. With his white Oxford shirt and black slacks...he looked rather professional among other things.

"I am," he replied shortly. "And I'm fairly sure that you're a student." The statement was meant to make her feel inferior.

"I'm getting my bachelor's degree in medicine before I head off to law school," she admitted. Silver eyebrows knitted together as Sesshoumaru noticed her expression. She looked disappointed.

"Yes...we saw that you were here with Naraku," Miroku cut in, permeating the abrupt silence. Both youkai turned away from one another to glare at the human. He gulped. "Why is that?"

"_Why?"_ she repeated dubiously. Miroku looked to Sesshoumaru, who was still glaring at the sorceress contemptibly with unblinking eyes.

"Why are you here with him?" he inquired gently.

"Is that really any of your business, kid?" This conversation was traveling to a place she didn't want to go...fast.

"It's just—" Miroku stopped, his violet eyes traveling beyond her. She almost instantly felt Naraku coming up behind her, and shuddered inwardly. Kagura watched Sesshoumaru's eyes wander away from her, giving her some breathing time. The wicked sensation moved closer and closer, until she felt a slender, bony hand resting on her elegant shoulder.

"So this is where you've been," Naraku hissed in her ear, his cool tone betraying the underlying hostility. Kagura felt the heat rushing to her face due to the look in Sesshoumaru's eyes as he spared a glance between Naraku and her.

"I hope this one hasn't been causing you two gentlemen any trouble," he said, turning to the silver-haired professor. With narrowed eyes they both surveyed one another. "I'm Naraku Onigumo, a professor of the medical school. You must be Sesshoumaru Ushida." Kagura glared up at Naraku, despising the tone in his voice. It was insulting even to her, and she wasn't even the one being spoken to. "You're very popular among your colleagues, I must say." She didn't even _want_ to look at the look on the Inuyoukai's face. "And who is this?" he gestured to the human.

"Miroku Saizou, sir," Miroku said.

The smirk on the hanyou's lips wider, as if to fight a scowl.

"I see you've met Kagura," he stated. "I've managed to acquire her services as my assistant this year. It's a shame that she'll be graduating." Kagura winced as his grip on her shoulder tightened. She tried to shrug out of it, but to no avail. Just the fact of him touching her sent bile coursing into her throat, and the sensation of _his_ nails digging into _her_ skin was downright repulsive. The urge to take hold of his arm and break every single bone in the limb—no, his _body_—was very tempting at that moment. _'Let go of me you bast-'_

"Yes, she's a very beautiful young lady," said Miroku. Kagura growled reproachfully, casting her gaze to the side. Sesshoumaru took another moment to glance at the sorceress. She was radiating of anger, and the expression on her face did nothing to compliment her attractive features. The demon grinned smugly; thinking that is was very well her own fault she was in this predicament.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a class I must conduct in an hour. My regards to your brother, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru's confusion at the mention of his brother was hidden well; for he showed no signs that he hadn't even seen his brother in a considerably long time. Naraku...what did he know about Sesshoumaru's family? How did he know that the demon even _had_ a brother, when he never spoke of him once to anyone?

Kagura finally shrugged successfully out of Naraku's grip and gazed back at the mysterious youkai. His furious eyes fell on her briefly before he sauntered away without a second thought. She shivered inwardly.

Miroku waved a friendly farewell before following his colleague. Kagura felt an odd sinking sensation that she had to see Sesshoumaru go. His company did something to her that she couldn't quite comprehend. He was a ruthless demon, someone she could never cope with under normal circumstances. She had to admit it however—he _was_ gorgeous. If he had been less intimidating, the sorceress probably wouldn't have paid him a second thought.

Naraku was still glaring at Kagura to follow him. She shrugged the shoulder he had been gripping, angry that the horrible sensation wouldn't go away. Inwardly she wondered if Sesshoumaru hated him as much as she did at that moment. Whatever had happened between them...Kagura was sure she would find out soon enough. The wind sorceress had a thing for being nosy, after all.

**.-.-.-.**

If Sesshoumaru had thought relaxation awaited him when he got home, he had been terribly wrong. After sitting at his desk for a mere hour thinking about all of the instances that had happened in that long day, he decided to permanently extinguish the image of her in his mind. Although every time he tried, it made the problem worse. The mere thought of such a being consuming his thoughts was infuriating, frustrating, and utter nonsense.

_She is his aid, his apprentice. How can I possibly lower myself to this? _He shifted uncomfortably in his chair._ The sorceress is equally foul in the sense that she even accepts his company. _Sesshoumaru inwardly battled, worrying his claw along his bottom lip while in such deep thought. Kagura obviously wasn't very content in the position she was currently in, but if she had any sense at all she would have worked for another professor. And why the hell did it feel like he had seen her before? The whole idea of déjà vu was particularly ridiculous by the taiyoukai's standards. He just couldn't accept that his sharp memory was faltering this one time over this a single stumbling point. What truly bothered him was that it hadn't even been an _unpleasant_ memory like most of the ones floating around in his mind. On the contrary, he wished that he knew exactly when he had met this Kagura.

_She is of no importance to me. I will forget her._

At the end of it all, he settled for pulling out one of the war novels sitting in his bookshelf. They were the only ones that interested him out of all the books he owned, and most of the time successfully pulled him out of his thoughts if he tried.

Little did he know that while he was trying to distract himself, the ultimate distraction was on their way right to his front door. First the doorbell rang. It rang once again. It rang until he decided to push the chair back with a screech and let whoever it was see that he was in a rather foul mood. He didn't want any company (not that he ever welcomed it in the first place), and he would not put himself in the predicament of killing someone today (as much as he would have liked to.) His poisoned claws were to be used only at the most desperate of times.

He looked through the peep-hole with narrowed eyes, and growled at the sight—or lack thereof. He had to look lower and lower until a raven-haired creature came into view, large brown eyes staring right back at him. Sesshoumaru rolled his as he unlocked the dead-bolt. A minuscule voice in the back of his head was protesting, but he chose to ignore it and let the child in. He was in need of a distraction, he decided.

"Sesshoumaru-sammmaaaa!" Before he could react, a small girl of age 10 hurled herself at him, latching onto his leg. He stood there with an annoyed expression as she just smiled up at him. "Sesshoumaru-sama, want to know what I did today?" All the youkai found he could do was nod once, letting her run into his living room. The first time she had come into his home, she had been dirty...scared...and thoroughly traumatized. It was a sight he never wanted to see again. He let her call him by his first name because...well...he didn't exactly know. She had added the cultural honorific on her own accord, and the name stuck. No one else called him by it.

This was the routine for every day other than Tuesdays, Thursdays, and if he was lucky...not on the weekends. But, today was a Wednesday, and for some utterly frustrating reason he could not simply ignore her. Even if he nodded the whole time, at least it wasn't shunning her. That made her cry. And frankly, Sesshoumaru couldn't stand it when a creature such as her cried and sobbed. Not only did it make him angry, but the feeling it gave him was one he _couldn't_ ignore or push aside. So he resorted to scolding her whenever she did such things. It worked most of the time, unless she was thoroughly distraught. Fortunately, the demon had never faced her in such a state of anguish aside from when she had found him.

"I drew a dragon!" she said excitedly, plopping onto the black leather couch, which looked to be much too large for her. Before he would have scowled at a little ningen girl even_ touching_ his furniture, but she was clean...and he supposed it couldn't hurt. It wasn't as if he ever used the couch these days anyway. He had been fastened to his chair for the fast 10 years as a result of writing his books and grading papers.

"I see," he grumbled. She nodded anyway, babbling almost incoherently even for his youkai ears. His ears heard her words but none of them registered in his brain. Normally he would at least listen to her ramblings, but today he was rather...distracted. Normally _she_ was the one distracting him from other worldly indecencies...but not at that moment.

"...and my teacher said that it wasn't really normal for girls to be drawing monsters like dragons. She said I should draw a cat, but I told her I don't like cats... I like to draw magical animals, like unicorns and—"

"Hn..."

"But everyone knows I draw dragons the best, even if they are a little scary...I drew it with two heads, too! This boy named Shippou said that he had actually _seen_ a dragon! Isn't that crazy? And—"

"Quiet," he said sternly, though somewhat tiredly. She instantly stopped, a deep breath escaping her tiny body rather dejectedly. It wasn't normal for him to be acting like this, she realized. Normally he would've let her go on and on with no ending in sight. But Rin didn't care if he didn't want her to talk; she could just observe him all day and be happy. As he sat back down at his desk, she pulled up a chair next to him like she always did. Ever since the young girl first woke up on his porch one morning after running away the previous night, she had come back almost every day since. The first few times she was questioned as to why she must stay, but that didn't diffuse her excitement. No, Rin was very determined, and uncannily stubborn at that...even foolish at points. Sesshoumaru had told her as much when she decided to interrupt his life-cycle.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you look troubled," she said, her pure, delicate features contorting into a worried frown.

"I assure you I am not," he answered without looking at her. She watched him skeptically as he scribbled a pen across the papers in front of him, the light from his study lamp igniting the bright highlights in his hair. Rin remembered how entranced she had been the first time she had set eyes on him. The mere thought of that moment made her smile, despite the situation she had been in at the time. Her mind wandered to that night, and everything that had transpired.

When the phone rang, Sesshoumaru didn't look up at first. What was the use, anyway? It wasn't as if it would be anyone of any importance. Furthermore, who was brave enough to interrupt his evening? He frowned, staring at the caller ID for a long moment. He watched as the ringing abruptly stopped and the messaging system took hold. As Sesshoumaru reached for the receiver, he hesitated at the voice that rang out. It was one he knew all too well.

"Sesshoumaru?"

**.-.-.-.**

_Author's Nonsense: I'm not very good at cliffies, but hey...it was necessary xD _


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